The butterfly leg exercise is done to strengthen and tone the legs of the mother. It will help the mother to be able to widen her legs apart with less discomfort during the last stages of labor. Stronger leg muscles also reduces some of the pain and helps the mother to be stronger and better able to walk after the baby is born.
To do this exercise, have the mother sit with her back to a wall or a chair with her knees up and her feet flat on the floor together. She should then have a helper sit on the floor facing her and have them put their hands on the outside of her knees while she pushes outwards with her knees against the helper's hands. The helper should provide some light resistance against the mother's knees while she pushes outwards. The helper should only provide light resistance while the mother presses outwards and not inwards. It is very important that the mother must make sure not to push outwards too hard. This is not a competition to see how strong she is. The mother must make sure not to overdo this exercise and only start out with a few per day, very gradually increasing pressure and number of repetitions as her legs grow stronger over several weeks.
Alison & Robert Haasch
Executive Directors -- NaturalChildbirth.org
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